old cables. because YOU NEVER KNOW

I keep the reddit app saved on my phone just in case

For years I’ve desoldered components from electronics that are destined for recycling/trash. I haven’t needed them more than a few times but it’s redeeming when I need a specific thing I’ve never needed before and can pick one out of my component box rather than buying a pack of 100 and never use 99 of them.

Tiny momentary SPST switches are definitely the most common thing I use from the bin but I’ve also reused some LEDs, capacitors, and resistors.

This is a hoarders thread but it’s ok cause me too lol

My “weirdest” would be used face masks. The little metal bit for the bridge of your nose works for tidying up cords like a twist tie. The ear loops work good for zipper pulls and tying up items that need held together. The mask itself works great for checking my car’s oil, dusting the car dash, cleaning up a minor spill, etc. Is it gross I do this? Perhaps. Has it served me well? Definitely.

Metal scrap. I toss it in the old refinery and voila! Iron ingots

I keep an entire truck in my back yard, because ya know, one day….

Unless it’s literal trash I’m saving it. I’m quite DIY minded person so I often also use those things for my projects.

Trinket goblin reporting! I save tons of different little things and stuff for a while, then one day, for no apparent reason I get overwhelmed and throw away everything( or donate or whatever) Cereal boxes are great to paint gouache so I cut them up and use them as needed. Embroidery floss and yarn scraps are great stuffers for small amigurumi. Electrical wire can be used sometimes for kumihimo. Empty glass jars are my doom, I collect them all.

Old consumer electronics. Good to practice reflashing on old phones or tablets, if you brick one, it was trash anyway. Sometimes you can pull useful components off old computer boards.

I have more grocery bags than I’d like to admit. They are very handy though. I use them to hold compost, bags for smaller bins, and they’re generally helpful to keep on hand whenever I go out

Adam Savage has entered the chat

Depends on what you mean by garbage. Something that would decompose or otherwise cause a problem is a hell no. Cardboard is one of those exceptions simply because it’s easy to store it in a way that prevents problems occuring, and it’s trivial to recycle the older pieces as you obtain newer. Mind you, I just keep unfolded boxes in a bin, tightly packed.

When we get something in the mail, the new box goes in, the oldest goes out.

Means we have cardboard for projects, as well as boxes for shipping/Christmas/whatever, but we don’t end up with critters making use of it. If critters did infest the bin, it’s easy enough to dump and burn, then clean the bin.

I tend to keep jars and bins of hardware in the shed. Very useful for sure. And I keep a bin of useless computer parts for art projects. You’d be amazed how often kids and young adults get assigned “found materials” projects if you aren’t known for being the go-to guy in your family for help with such things. While those supplies are space limited, the bin of computer/electronics parts are tucked away along with a box of “cool looking shit”, and I keep basic art supplies around anyway.

Having a good sized shed and a big attic help lol

I dislike waste on principle, and I have enough space to keep a reasonable amount of stuff “in case”, so there I am. I also have a corner of the attic that has durable medical gear I picked up over my years in home health. It’s dwindling now, what with relatives getting older and my own disability, but as the items get used and no longer needed, they come back until they can’t be reasonably passed on again. But some of those that reach end of life have gone into the “cool shit” box lol.

Altoid tins. They’re little metal boxes that breath mints come in for anyone who’s not familiar. I fly fish to I’ll use them as fly boxes, just glue some craft foam inside and good to go.